Several theories have been advanced to explain the mechanism by which a variety of toxic substances exert their desirable therapeutic and detrimental toxic effects in animals, including humans. Growing evidence suggests that these substances exert their effects by disturbing the cellular membranes (Schacht et al., 1983, "Aminoglycoside-cell Receptor Interactions: Implications for Toxicity and In Vitro Models," Thirteenth International Congress of Chemotherapy). More particularly, it is believed that the drugs bind to certain specific receptors which mediate the molecular activities responsible for their therapeutic and toxic effects in animals.
Theories of pharmacological action have been developed for the aminoglycoside antibiotics and for several other drugs, including the polyene and polyene macrolide antibiotics, a class of antifungal agents, as well as for adriamycin and cisplatin, known antineoplastic agents. These drugs, among others, exert their desirable therapeutic effects by binding to specific bacterial, fungal or tumor cellular receptors. Their undesirable toxic effects, on the other hand, are thought to be due to binding to specific toxicity receptors of non-drug target cells of the treated animal. Lipids have been suggested as toxicity receptors for these and other drugs.
Since theories have been more developed for the above-listed drugs, these will be discussed in greater detail below. It is to be understood, however, that drugs other than these may also exert their toxic effects through similar lipid-mediated mechanisms, and that the present invention encompasses all of such drugs.